Mysterious Smash Stories: The Everlasting Battle
by Mysterious Smash
Summary: It's just a regular day, people are training, newcomers are arriving at the Smash Mansion. Things seem normal but when some strange events happen in rapid succession and the Smash Mansion and all its inhabitants are in mortal peril, the Smash team find that even with all their powerful skills, all hope seems lost. How could something so bleak happen so suddenly?
1. Chapter 1: The Ever Growing Smash Roster

Super Smash Brothers: Mysterious Smash Stories

The Everlasting Battle

Chapter 1: The Ever Growing Smash Roster

Link lobbed his boomerang once more. It soared through the air towards Lucario. Lucario used Extreme Speed and dodged it with ease. In a flash, he was behind Link. Lucario launched an Aura Sphere. Link crossed his arms and a protective bubble appeared. Link spun around. "Hiyaah!" Lucario flew backwards, skidding towards the edge of the Sparring Ring. From the side many spectators looked on.

"Impressive" remarked Fox.  
"Who do you think's gonna win, Lady Palutena?" asked Pit.  
"Hmm… Lucario is powerful, but this Hylian is most impressive. I'm voting for Link"

"Pika pi! Pika pika, pika chu!" Lucario looked over at Pikachu, cheering him on from the side lines. He smiled. Link charged towards him. Pikachu wondered what Lucario was doing. He was centimetres from being classified "out" of the ring and he was just lying there. Link leapt into the air, sword held high, ready for a lunge. Lucario waited. Link pounced, as he did, Lucario lifted his arms and legs. They dug into Link and Lucario threw back into the air behind him. There was a gasp from the crowd. As soon as Link hit the ground, he'd be out. Link wasn't finished though. He pulled out a bomb from his tunic and threw it at the ground. The explosion sent him flying back into the ring. Lucario couldn't believe it! He was sure he'd caught Link off guard and that would be him out of the game. Link stood up, a little sore from his own bomb. He smiled. Lucario scowled.

Meanwhile, curiosity was building within the Smash Mansion. There was someone outside on the porch. Marth approached the double wooden doors and opened them wide. "Greetings, welcome the Smash Mansion. We've all been looking forward to your arrival. Marth took a step back and extended his arm into the room, beckoning them to enter.  
"It's the Hero-King himself!"

Link was growing tired. Lucario's punches were becoming more and more powerful and he was wondering how to counter them. Lucario was charging up another Aura Sphere, a powerful one at that. Link pulled an arrow from his quiver and raised his bow. Lucario smiled and waited. Link grinned. He shot upwards past Lucario. Lucario thought for a moment. There's only one reason why Link would shoot past him: To hit the Smash Orb. Lucario turned ready to launch his attack. There was nothing there. Lucario stopped. Where was it? He turned round to see Link, swinging his blade at his side. SMASH. Lucario was sent flying from the ring. He crashed into the ground. "And that is game!" yelled Villager, atop the judges' chair with his megaphone. Link put his sword away and then walked over to Lucario. He was a little dazed on the ground. Link helped him up.

"Very good" he said. Link smiled. Lucario hobbled off to be met with a Chansey, which used Softboiled to heal Lucario's wounds. "I'll be back" he said, leaping up onto a nearby balcony and entering the mansion. Link wiped the sweat off his brow.  
"Wow, both fighters were very cunning during all of that" commented Olimar.  
"I knew it" exclaimed Palutena, "Link is really strong. I'd love to see him in a scrap with Ike." She smiled.  
"I'm pretty strong too, Lady Palutena!" squeaked Pit.  
"We all saw how your last fight went against Link, Pit." He didn't reply. He walked off, muttering. He'd have to prove his worth. He'd have to do more training. It was humiliating enough not being able to fly; he had to be able to fight, and fight well. Palutena sniggered. "Oh Pit, you're so easy."

Ness was in the lounge… lounging around on a large red couch made of soft fabric. He was lying across with one hand hanging off, a piece of string attached to his finger. The yoyo flew towards the floor, then retracted back up. "D'you know what? I'm starvin'!" he said while yawning.  
"We could order a giant pizza!" yelled Kirby. "Or two. They'd be yum!"  
"We'll have to work off all the calories if it's particularly fattening" warned the Wii Fit Trainer.  
"Give it a rest" said Ness rolling over, "Have something tasty once in a while." He sat up. "What about steak? That'll make us nice 'n' strong."  
"I prefer a salad." Ness facepalmed.

"So that concludes the tour of the mansion" said Marth, "Any questions?"  
"Yes, where is everyone? I've only seen, like, two people the whole time we've been wondering around."  
"Ah. Well judging by the time I'd say they're all either out back at the Sparring Ring or in the mess hall preparing something to eat. You would like to meet the others, I assume?" quizzed Marth.  
"Yes."

The Mess Hall was one of the largest rooms. There was a large, elongated dining table stretching across the majority of the room. There was a large white cloth spread over the table and tall scarlet chairs with the softest teal rug underfoot. Several Smashers were already sitting at the table, fork and knife in hand, poised and ready to eat. Master Hand appeared by the main entrance. "Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening. As you are aware if ever I have announcements to make; I do it here when we're all together to rejoice with a toast and a feast. I ask that you gather everybody here for I have such an announcement to make." The small crowd in the room slowly dissipated as they went to collect their fellow Smashers. It didn't take long for them to return with everybody.  
"Hey, where's Marth?" asked Lucas.  
"Entering any minute now" replied Master Hand. At that the doors flew open and Marth strided through, he was not alone… Behind him entered Chrom, Lucina and Robin. "Everyone" continued Master Hand, "Our most recent newcomers have arrived from the Fire Emblem series." Lucina smiled and waved. Robin bowed. "These three are Chrom, Lucina and Robin from Fire Emblem: Awakening!" There was a moment of silence. "That is all, announcement-wise for this evening; enjoy the feast! Everybody cheered. Marth walked to a space at the table next to Ike. The others followed and sat down next to him.  
"Wow, the Radiant Hero of legend" remarked Robin.  
"Hello and welcome to the team. With all of us here, there's no way we can lose!" exclaimed Ike.  
"I hope you're right about that" replied Lucina.  
"You bear quite a striking resemblance to Marth" he commented.  
"We're both descendants from the Hero-King himself" stated Chrom.  
"I may have masqueraded as him in the past. I needed to conceal my identity and I thought becoming Marth was the best option, to become the hero himself."  
"You don't have to hold me in such high regard" Marth warned, "I saved my land, Ike saved his and I'm sure you saved yours; making you just as much 'heroes' as I am." They heard a voice coming from the other side of the newcomers. They turned to their right.  
"Hey hey, welcome to the mansion! Looks like we're getting all sorts of people in on this fight! How much crazier can it get?" remarked Pac Man. By this point Master Hand and Crazy Hand were up above the table, under the various golden chandeliers.  
"A toast! Welcome to the team, Fire Emblem representatives!" exclaimed Master Hand.  
"Gorge away!" yelled Crazy Hand. The hands slammed to clap, the noise booming through the room as everybody raised a drink.  
"Wow, what a lovely welcome!" smiled Lucina.  
"We're going to get on just fine here, I think" remarked Robin. The Smashers tucked into their food. Before anybody had blinked, Sonic came rushing back with two pizzas in hand. He sat at one end of the table with Mario, Luigi and Kirby. He was also carrying a smaller bag with him.  
"What's in there?" asked Kirby, eager that it might be more food.  
"Just something extra" was all Sonic said. He waited until the others were busy with the pizza and opened the bag. He pulled out a chillie dog and scoffed it. The others were actually having food made by the evening's food staff. Rosalina, Peach, Zelda, King Dedede and Little Mac came out carrying various dishes of different kinds for all the other starving competitors. Ness tucked into his steak and Wii Fit Trainer had a salad.

The merriment continued all evening. Joy and laughter echoed through the hall. Before long, most of the Smashers had diffused into the Billiard Room. There was a card game going on at the corner table involving Wario, Wolf, Bowser, Captain Falcon and Charizard. In the middle of the room lay the snooker table, a rather tense game being played between Luigi and Fox. Fox managed to sink another ball from an incredibly tight angle. Luigi gave him a death stare. "Your turn, Luigi" he smirked. Falco and Diddy Kong were watching intensely. Over at the back wall stood a roaring fire with some leather chairs next to it. Mario, Sonic, Mega Man and Pac Man were all huddled together by the warm fire discussing game companies."So, we've got you back from Sega and now we have Capcom and Namco Bandai joining the fray" chimed Mario.  
"Rumours are going around that we're going to be seeing a Square Enix character too" replied Sonic.  
"Hmm, then you have to wonder about whether or not Snake's coming back" said Mario.  
"Well there's a rumour that suggests he or that other guy, Raiden, is it? He may be in it" said Sonic.  
"Really?" asked Mega Man.  
"Well you can go and research it, I read something about one of the voice actors – Raiden's voice actor - mentioning doing work on a fighting game, and he said SSB" Sonic described.  
"Interesting…" said Mega Man.  
"Then there's Ubisoft's trophy of Rayman" Pac Man chipped in.  
"Yeah, regardless of anything else there must be some kind of Ubisoft playable character. There's a trophy of all of us in the game – presumably – so does it mean that's the trophy of the playable character Rayman… or he's just one of many Ubisoft trophies and they're gonna announce a different character?" quizzed Sonic.  
"It would suggest Rayman himself is playable" Mario decided.  
"Why?" asked Pac Man.  
"Well, when Sonic joined Brawl there were plenty of other trophies other than him but they were all from the Sonic series. Tails, Amy, Knuckles and so on. We even had Shadow as an Assist Trophy. No other Sega franchise has appeared thus far. Therefore by that logic, if there's a Rayman trophy, Ubisoft's franchise in the game is Rayman; and they're hardly going to have another character instead of Rayman himself. It's got to be him."  
"What if that's not the case and there's a Ubisoft character from another franchise?" asked Mega Man.  
"Well I suppose that means there could be more than one franchise from Sega, Namco Bandai or Capcom" said Pac Man.  
"Imagine seeing Ryu from Super Street Fighter coming in yelling "Hadoken!" from Capcom!" said Sonic, crying from laughter.  
"Or Jin from Tekken!" cheered Mega Man.  
"The possibilities are endless. Remember though, this is supposed to be Nintendo Allstars, I can't imagine there will be too many more 3rd party members to come" warned Mario.  
"If that's the case" said Sonic, "Then we're very lucky to be here."

Nightfall came and all the Smashers headed for bed. Who knew what lay around the corner. Who would appear next? A highly anticipated character? An obscure gem? Nobody knew. It was a quiet night and all was returning to normal, but would the peace last?


	2. Chapter 2: Strange Occurences

Chapter 2: Strange Occurrences

There had been heavy rainfall during the night. The sun rose up above the hills; the morning dew on the leaves of plants and trees dripped off and made a gentle splatter sound as it hit the damp concrete outside the mansion. On the eastern wing of the mansion, there were rays beaming in through the windows. Pit had left his curtains open so the sun's light came right in and lit up his bed covers and face. He blinked several times, his blue eyes watering a little in the shining glow. "Uh… Is it morning already?" he whined. He rubbed his eyes. He turned over so his face wasn't being blinded. "That's better" he said, stretching his legs. At that point, his bedside alarm clock struck seven and began ringing. RING RING RING. "Oh come on!" he wailed. He stuck the clock under his pillow to muffle the noise. This would slowly get him up without killing his ears. Moments passed. "Fine!" he yelled. He turned it off and placed it back on his bedside table. He threw off the cover, stood up and stretched his muscles. He sat at his desk and opened up his laptop. "Hm, nothing interesting today…" He closed it down again. "Time for breakfast, I think."

Pikachu was sitting on the kitchen worktop with a little bowl of pokéfood. Squirtle and Ivysaur were sitting next to him. Peach and Zelda were having cornflakes at the table. Rosalina sat down next to them. "Well that's the Pokémon fed" she said. Luma nestled into her. Pit wandered into the room.

"Mornin' ladies" he said.  
"Oh hello, Pit!" exclaimed Peach standing up to give him a hug. "Can I get you a cup of tea?"  
"No, I'm fine" he replied.  
"Pit, we're planning to go out for a picnic later. Would you like to join us?" asked Zelda.  
"Oh that would be marvelous, wouldn't it Luma? You will join us, won't you?"  
"Um, sorry but I already had plans for the day…" replied Pit. They gave him a death glare.  
"Oh Pit!" cried Peach.  
"Oh heavens Pit, you have to come with us" said Rosalina.  
"It'll be fun" chimed Zelda. Pit thought for a moment. It couldn't be that bad and then he could do some training afterwards.  
"Very well, I'll tag along."  
"YEY!"

Another Aura Sphere whacked into the punch bags. Lucario was training in the Gym in the west wing of the upper mansion. He wasn't giving up. He would get stronger and then he'd show Link who was boss! He began ruthlessly punching, kicking and biting all the various punch bags and dummies. He was making quite the racket. The Wii Fit Trainer entered the room. "Lucario, must you make such a ruckus?"  
"I'm training so I can defeat Link."  
"I see. I heard about that match. If you wish, I could help train your body and mind."  
"Hm. Training from a proper fitness trainer; that could actually be quite beneficial. Very well." Lucario stopped assaulting the dummies and followed the Wii Fit Trainer through to her fitness studio in the next room.

Link raised his sword. Greninja stood behind him charging a Water Shuriken. On the other side stood Lucas and Little Mac. Link charged forward, swinging his sword from side to side to ward them off. Lucas used PK Fire. The flame shot past Little Mac and hit Link, setting him on fire. Greninja hit him with the Water Shuriken, propelling Link forward into Little Mac. They skidded to one side near the edge of the Sparring Ring. Greninja lunged forward towards Lucas. Lucas jumped up into the air. Little Mac threw a punch at Link's face. Link flinched and fell backwards. He then saw Greninja in the air and grabbed him with his hookshot. Greninja landed on the ground with a thunk. Lucas launched a PK Thunder. The bolt zooshed towards Little Mac. Little Mac threw himself to one side and watched as it flew past him and into the crowd. Link lobbed a bomb over at him. Little Mac caught sight of it and hit it back with his fist. Link grabbed it with his hookshot and began swirling it around his head like a flail. Greninja took a step back, trying to avoid the violent spins. Lucas grabbed Little Mac with his tether snake. Link saw his chance. He threw his hookshot towards the ground. The bomb on the end of it smashed into the ground beside Lucas and Little Mac, hurtling them into the air where they were greeted by Greninja; who used Night Slash and knocked them back even further. Lucas summoned forth another PK Thunder; directing it round and into himself. He launched himself back towards the Sparring Ring. Little Mac fell down and smacked against the ground. "OUT!" cried Falco from up atop the judges' chair. Little Mac raised his head. He watched the other three as they continued to assault each other with powerful moves.

The sun was at its highest point as midday approached. Lucina was exploring the area south of the mansion. After the front porch and all the plants and vegetation, there was a large fountain where a lot of Smashers enjoyed congregating. Then came the road and train tracks where Smashers would arrive. On the other side of them was a large cliffside. Lucina was standing on top of this cliff area looking down on the roads, fountain and front of the mansion below. "This place is so peaceful and beautiful. It's completely different from back home." At this point Lucina heard a noise from behind her, an all most wailing noise. She turned to see what it was. There was a large, grey figure looming above her; brandishing an axe. "Wh-what? Risen! HERE? Are they new enemies for Smash Run?" She backed away, drawing her blade. Her feet reached the edge of the cliff, small pebbles falling off the side and rolling down onto the road beneath. She lunged forward and sliced the Risen's arm off before it had a chance to react. She drove her blade into it, sending it to the ground. She panted. It startled her. What if there were more? What were they even doing here? She headed back to the mansion.

Peach, Zelda and Rosalina were all sitting on a picnic blanket enjoying some fruit. Pit was doing some light combat practise close by with Mario. Sonic was practising his running abilities by running rings around the picnic area over and over again. "Sonic!" yelled Peach.

"Can't you do that over there away from us? All you're doing is creating gusts of wind!" cried Zelda.  
"Sorry guys" replied Sonic; "gotta go fast!" He ran off to one side and began running laps around some of the more mountainous terrain.  
"This was a lovely spot for a picnic, Zelda" remarked Rosalina.  
"Is it such a wise idea to be this far away from the mansion?" asked Peach. "We've come pretty far north. It's a least half an hour back to the mansion."  
"I'm sure we'll be fine" replied Zelda; "what could possibly happen?"

Link wiped the sweat from his brow. The newcomers were pretty powerful. Little Mac packed a punch and Greninja was really fast. Lucas and Little Mac watched from the side as Greninja charged another Water Shuriken. Link raised his sword, ready to strike or parry. Lucina came belting around the corner of the mansion and out to the back where most of the Smashers were. "Everyone! We have a serious problem!" They stopped and turned to her. Chrom ran over and embraced her.  
"Lucina! What's wrong?" Robin joined them.  
"Risen! There are Risen to the north!"  
"What?" cried Robin.  
"There's no way…" said Chrom. Some of the others came over.  
"Risen? Are they significant?" asked Little Mac.  
"Should we be worried?" asked Kirby.  
"The Risen are from our world" explained Robin; "we vanquished them. I can't fathom how they can possibly be here. If they're part of Smash Run then they shouldn't be here unauthorised."  
"We should consult Master Hand" said Falco; "he takes care of this stuff."

Mario and Pit were just watching Sonic now. "Do you ever stop running?" asked Pit.  
"Hey, running's what I'm good at!" replied Sonic.  
"How fast can you go?" asked Mario.  
"I don't really know. I can gain enough momentum that I could run up that cliff face and propel myself into the air." Sonic headed straight towards the mountain wall, gaining a lot of speed in the process.  
"Wow, look at him go" remarked Pit. Sonic was going at a blinding speed now, he began to run around in small loops to build up more speed. He then prepared to run at the wall. Something in the distance caught his eye. Something small on the ground. It looked like… like… Sonic didn't know. A blue wire frame rock? Sonic stood on it and it propelled him into the air.  
"WHOA!" he cried. He crashed into the cliff. His head and body were lodged into it. His legs were wiggling in the air. Pit and Mario rushed over.  
"I think he's crashed right into the cliff!" said Mario.  
"Yeah, looks like it" agreed Pit. "Hey what's this?" he said, stopping to pick up the mysterious rock. It launched Pit into the wall also.  
"What on earth?" cried Mario. He grabbed Pit and Sonic's legs. Something was yanking at Sonic and Pit on the other side. A tug of war began. Mario couldn't hold onto both of them. Before long, he was losing his grip on Pit. Pit sunk into the wall. "Pit!" yelled Mario. He grabbed onto Sonic's feet. He pulled. He was losing his balance. What the heck was happening? Sonic began to sink further in. "NO!" Mario yanked back, but it was no use. Sonic was dragged in, Mario with him.

"This is strange" said Master Hand; "I certainly didn't organise this. Crazy, you didn't… did you?"  
"I did not. I might be mental but I still play fair." Just then the ground began to rumble.  
"An earthquake?! What is happening?" cried Fox. Segments of the ceiling began to crumble.  
"Take cover" cried Ike. There was a roar from outside. Something swooped over the top of the mansion, ripping the roof off in the process. Lucario and Wii Fit Trainer looked up to see Ridley looming over them. Wii Fit Trainer shrank back in fear. Lucario charged an Aura Shere. He fired it up. Ridley just smashed it aside. Lucario looked over at Wii Fit Trainer.  
"Prepare for your first proper fight."

Mario stood up. They were… in the mountain? The place was all blue wire frame. Pit and Sonic sat up.  
"Ow, my head. What happened?" asked Sonic.  
"I have no idea" replied Mario. "We were dragged into the wall."  
"How's that make any sense?" asked Pit.  
"Beats me" said Sonic. Mario tried pressing against the wall.  
"Looks like we're not getting back through."  
"Great."

Fox, Falco, Kirby, Charizard and Greninja stood at the Sparring Ring at the back. Risen were flooding in. Lucario, Wii Fit Trainer, Samus, Ness, Lucas and Pikachu were all fighting Ridley in the gym with the roof missing. Monoeyes began to pour in as well. Master Hand, Crazy Hand, Link, Captain Falcon, Bowser and Mr. Game & Watch were fighting a bunch of Skulltulas and Spaaks. Marth, Ike, Roy, Robin, Chrom and Lucina stood on the porch at the front of the mansion. "Here come the Risen!" cried Lucina.

"These things roamed the lands in the future?" asked Marth.  
"We dealt with them there, don't worry" replied Chrom. Robin drew his Levin Sword.  
"Prepare for battle!"


	3. Chapter 3: Smash Mansion Assault

Chapter 3: Smash Mansion Assault

"Let'sa-go!" cried Mario, leaping down from their entrance into the wireframe world.  
"Where are we going to go, exactly?" asked Pit.  
"We need to find some kind of way out" replied Sonic. "If there's a way in, there has to be a way out."  
"So where do you think we are?" asked Pit. "If we're in the Smash Brothers' game terrain, are we now in the coding? Glitch space? Cyberspace? Where are we?  
"I'm puzzled about thata strange-a rock which clearly did not have its correct palette. Why was it different?"  
"And why did it send us into here?" continued Sonic.  
"Exactly" replied Mario.  
"So many unanswered questions…" said Pit, surveying the bizarre world around them. "And you're sure we can't get back there?" he asked. Sonic ran back the entrance and kicked the wall. Nothing. He pushed into it. Nothing. He ran his hands along the wall in case there was some kind of button or device. Nothing.  
"It would appear not." Sonic joined the others. "So I guess we'll just have to explore and find another way."

Zelda looked around wildly. "Where did they go?" she cried.  
"Sonic! Pit!" cried Peach, "Mario!"  
"Remain calm ladies, I'm assure you that they will return to us safely" said Rosalina. "Oh heavens, what are those?" she asked.  
The trio looked to see Risen surrounding them, joined by Spaaks.  
"Let's go, girls!" yelled Peach.

Fox shot forward with his pistol. Falco aimed in the opposite direction. The duo were surrounded. Charizard was in the air burning up multiple Risen at once. Greninja was lobbing Water Shurikens to keep them at bay. The Risen were having no luck picking up rock Kirby. Then they turned to attack somebody else, Kirby turned back to normal and smashed them with a mallet. Fox and Falco were standing in the middle of the Sparring Ring. "There are too many of these things!" cried Fox.  
"Curse their ugly mugs, they won't best me!" Falco raged. He threw his deflector forwards. Fox launched himself at one side.  
"FIRE!"

Lucario charged an Aura Sphere. Ridley roared in his face. He fired. Ridley swallowed it and didn't even flinch. Lucario dodged as he swiped at him. Lucas and Ness leapt into the air "PK Thunder!" they yelled in unison. Ness shot forwards, ramming Ridley in the stomach. Ridley kneeled down. Lucas crashed into his head, jolting him repeatedly. Ridley flapped his wings and sent Lucas flying into the sky.

"Whoa!" he cried. Samus shot out her tether and caught him. He became a kite floating on the breeze. Samus pulled him back to the floor. Ridley flew up into the sky. He shot balls on fire at Lucas.  
"PK Pulse!" cried Ness. A green blast emanated from him and zoomed at Ridley. Ridley was sent plummeting towards the ground.  
"Take cover!" screeched Fox. He and Falco dived off to the side. Charizard and Greninja Took cover under the balcony over at one end of the mansion. Kirby smashed into the ground in rock form. Ridley crashed into the ring, crushing Risen in the process.  
"Well that helped" said Charizard.  
"Indeed it did" replied Greninja, "now let's finish them off!" The duo charged back towards the centre. From up and the roof, Lucario and Pikachu watched them.  
"Ready to dive in?" asked Pikachu. Lucario nodded. The pair leapt from the roof and down towards Fox's party, followed closely by the psychic children, Samus and Wii Fit Trainer.

"These creatures are horrifying!" cried Roy.  
"These things walked among you?" asked Marth.  
"Yes" replied Robin, "they plagued our land of Ylisse." Risen poured in from all sides.  
"There's so many of them!" cried Lucina.  
"Good thing we're experienced in fighting totally outnumbered" replied Ike. Ike lashed out at Risen on the left while Marth covered the right. Lucina and Chrom covered the centre. Robin launched a Thunder bolt. Roy struck down many foes by Marth's side. Chrom stopped and looked up and saw something in the air.  
"Watch out!" he cried, shoving Lucina to one side. An object collided with him. Chrom went flying, transforming into a trophy in the process.  
"Chrom!" cried Robin. Lying on the ground was the trophy of Fox. Lucina and Robin looked up to see Ridley charging towards them. He then threw Charizard's trophy at them. The duo threw themselves to the side as the trophy was embedded into the ground. Dust clouds began to rise into the air. In the commotion, some Risen appeared and surrounded Roy.  
"Hey, aagh-" his voice was cut off.  
"Hey what *cough* is going on?" cried Marth.  
"I *cough* can't see!" cried Ike.  
"Elwind!" cried Robin, waves of wind cut through the air and slashed Ridley and Risen all around. Robin was seriously angry now. "How dare you ruin my strategy! I'll make you pay!" he lunged forward with his Levin sword. He struck Ridley between the eyes. Ridley shrieked in pain. He glared at Robin. He grabbed him in one hand and sent another cloud of dust into the air as he ascended into the sky once more. This time though, he flew off in the opposite direction of the mansion.  
"Robin!" cried Lucina.

Link threw his boomerang. Spaaks he hit became enraged and only targeted him. Bowser assaulted Skulltulas on all sides. "Falcon Punch!" A flaming fist dug into the underbelly of a Skulltula. Master and Crazy Hand saw Monoeyes in the sky, carrying trophies of Kirby, Falco, Greninja and Lucas. They began to slam together in a clapping motion, shockwaves flying forth. The Monoeyes were unaffected.  
"Impossible! How could they resist us?" questioned Master Hand. At that, some Armanks arrived and gripped him and Crazy Hand in their claws. They changed into trophies. Link watched in astonishment. How could they be defeated so easily? He saw something odd on the Armanks, there were blue scratches and marks all over the treads on the bottom. These guys looked damaged and yet, they were more powerful than regular ones?

"How do we get out of this crumby place?" asked Sonic. Pit looked around.  
"There's nowhere to go. This is it. This small cave-like section here and where we entered, that's all that's here, If we walk anywhere else, the walls and floor simply push us back."  
"It'sa-rather puzzling" replied Mario.  
"Yeah well, I'm sick of it" retorted Sonic, "If I can get in here, I can get out." He moved back as far as he could and looked around at the entrance to this…place. He began charging on the spot.  
"Looks like he's going for another spin dash" said Pit. Sonic launched himself at the wall. "Look!" cried Pit; "He's boring a hole straight through it!" Sonic wasn't stopping, he was getting faster. He drilled his way though and landed on the soft, dry grass.  
"I made it" he said to himself. He looked at his gloves. They had blue scratches all over them. "How did…?" he started. He saw the blue wireframe rock on the ground. He looked at his shoes. Blue scratches. Sonic walked back to the mountain rock. He stretched out his arm. It sunk easily into the rock.  
"Look! There'sa-Sonic's arm" cried Mario. He and Pit ran over and grabbed Sonic's hand. Before they knew it, they were pulled back out onto the grass.  
"How on earth did you do that, Sonic?" asked Pit.  
"I have no idea" he answered. Pit's wings had blue marks all over them. So did Mario's hat and clothing. "Though whatever has happened, it left an effect on us" he added. Mario and Pit looked at him, and then each other.  
"So what should we do now?" asked Pit.  
"We should go back and make sure Peach, Zelda and Rosalina are OK" replied Mario. The trio headed back to the picnic area.  
"Oh no…" said Sonic. Pit looked around. All they saw was a blanket and basket sitting neatly on the ground.

Ridley landed in a secluded area with a waterfall and lake nearby. He decided it was perfect. He flew over. "Let me go!" cried Robin. Ridley smiled and dunked Robin into the lake. He rammed him against the lakefloor. Robin squirmed in his grip. It was no use, he couldn't move his arms or legs. He couldn't break free. He could feel his consciousness slipping away. He heard somebody yell up above Ridley.  
"Back Slash!" Ridley shot into the waterfall and crashed into the side of the cliff face. "Reyn! Now!"  
"Yeah! Reyn time!" He dived into the water, grabbed Robin and swam back up towards the surface. He lobbed Robin upward out of the lake where he was caught by Dunban. Dunban carried him a safe distance away behind some hills and into a cave. He laid him gently on the ground.  
"I'll go fetch Sharla" he said. He ran off. Reyn clambered back onto the grass. He ran off towards the cave. "How's he lookin'?" he asked.  
"He's looking better." Robin sat up, spitting and coughing up water. He looked around and saw two figures. "It's OK, you're safe now" he smiled. Robin got to his feet, a little uneasy. Reyn helped him up.  
"Who are you?" he asked, staring intently at the red blade on the blonde-haired boy's back.  
"I'm Shulk, from Colony 9. At you service."


	4. Chapter 4: Refugees

Chapter 4: Refugees

Pit strained his eyes and looked far off in the distance. "I can see the mansion. It doesn't look like it's in the best of conditions."  
"Something really odd is happening" replied Sonic, "we need to check and see if everybody else is OK!" Mario and Pit carried all the picnic stuff and Sonic sprinted ahead. The mansion was in ruins. There was sections of the walls and ceilings missing and smoke was still rising in small areas. The place had been decimated. "What has… How could…?" Sonic was speechless. Mario and Pit caught up with him.  
"Whoa…" was all Pit could muster. Mario looked over towards the Sparring Ring, debris scattered across it and the rest of the garden.  
"Stay alert, guys" said Sonic, "There may still be enemies around…" The trio advanced into the building. The carpets were torn, the walls charred with flames.  
"Is anyone even here?" asked Pit.  
"Hello? It'sa Mario" he called. Link emerged from behind a table on its side, bow and arrow still poised in his hand.  
"Link!" called Pit. Link lowered his bow. "Link! What the heck has happened here? Where is everyone?" Link's face didn't change. He walked off into the next room. The group followed. Link entered the foyer at the front and walked towards the entrance to the Mess Hall at the east wing; he proceeded to haul up a section of the carpet by the wall next to the big double doors. The trio looked to see a door etched into the ground. Link pulled it open. He motioned for them to enter. The trio dropped down. Link clambered down pulling the tattered carpet back over the door as best as possible. Mario, Sonic and Pit blinked a little in the darkness. "Of course! I remember when we built this cellar!" The group walked down the small wooden steps down into a surprisingly spacious room. There was little in it other than a some cushions and pillows, really. There was one window letting in light on one of the walls, but a couch had been placed on top of a table and some Smashers were on the lookout. Link moved and stood in the corner of the room, turning back to watch the stairs where they had come from. ZS Samus walked over.  
"I see we're not the only ones left…" she said. Pac Man and Mega Man were watching the window, this gave them a good view of under the porch, allowing for the identification of anyone's feet coming to the mansion. Sitting on a pile of pillows in the corner lay Lucina, her eyes closed and she looked shattered. She was gripping a Soothing Sword which was slowly healing her wounds. Sitting against the last wall at the darkest area of the room, tucked in the corner under where the door was and the steps was a small wooden bench. Lucas had a bucket of water and a small damp cloth and he was tending to a big, purple bruise on Ness' forehead, which had several cuts around it too.  
"Ow, careful. It's still sore" Ness winced.  
"I'm sorry, Ness, I didn't mean to let that guy smack you in the head" sniffled Lucas.  
"It's OK, I'm fine. Stop getting so upset. Look!" Ness smiled; "I'm fine!"  
"You still need plenty of rest though" said Lucas, splashing the cloth in the water again. Ness lay down and got comfy on the pillow on the left.  
"Thanks, Lucas" he said, looking kinda drowsy. In the final corner to left of the window and right of the wooden bench where Samus had been resting was a small sink for washing things and a small plug-in fire.  
"It's freezing in here" said Sonic.  
"We know" said Samus, lighting a few more candles; "that's why we keep turning this on for some heat now and then." With that, Samus pulled the fire out from the corner and placed it near the centre of the room and put it on full, the warmth spreading quickly. She sat down on the ground which was laced with cushions and other soft materials like blankets.  
"So what the heck happened here?" asked Pit.  
"We could say the same thing to you" replied Pac Man jumping down from the sentry couch; "you've got horrible blue scratches all over you." This attracted Link's attention. He came across from his guarding post and inspected the trio; blue scratches all over the bodies and clothing. He paused for a moment and went back to his post. He slouched down and entered a deep daydream.  
"Where have you guys even been?" asked Samus.  
"We were on that picnic with Peach, Zelda and Rosalina" replied Pit.  
"Is this it?" asked Sonic; "are we the only ten left?" Samus nodded.

Robin slowly began clambering down the mountainous rocks. "How much further is it?" asked Shulk.  
"Only about fifteen minutes now" replied Robin. "Here, Shulk? Was it really wise to leave Reyn, Dunban and Sharla back there?"  
"Don't worry, they're taking care of some other jobs that we offered to take care of to protect our people. I can't wait to meet the other Smashers."  
"That may have to wait, as you know, the mansion was ravaged; there's no telling how much damage will have been done. Introductions will probably be last on everyone's minds."

A small convoy truck made its way across the desert. The number of trophies on it? Nobody was sure. The figure perched atop the large hills watched through a pair of binoculars, wondering if their target was on board. The mansion had been destroyed and hardly anyone seemed to be there – if anyone. So were they here, aboard this truck? Hopefully.

Everyone had gathered around in a small circle. "It was clear at that point this we were losing miserably" continued Samus; "so we thought it best to try and rescue and evacuate as many people as possible… We didn't get very far…" She trailed off, clutching her left arm which had a white bandage around it.  
"T-they took everyone" stammered Lucas; "they just whacked and kidnapped anyone in sight, in one hit! *Sniff* T-they took Kirby, Pikachu, even Red and his pokemon. I tried to save him but they just knocked me back… *Sniff*  
"Hey" said Ness, rubbing Lucas' back gently; "It's a good thing they did or I wouldn't have caught your trophy and been able to save you." Lucas looked away.  
"I still failed…"  
"Hey it's not like any of us did that much better" said Pac Man.  
"We're all fortunate enough to be here" said Lucina; "don't beat yourself up." She held out her Soothing Sword. "Ness, do you want a shot?" Ness reached out and took it from Lucina. He clutched it tightly, he could feel its energy already. "Robin always said to keep one on me to heal me up. I'm glad I did. She then picked up Falchion. "I'll just use Falchion from here."  
"I think you three are the only ones near enough completely unblemished" said Samus to the blue-scratched trio.  
"So what's our plan now?" asked Pit.  
"Well we need to find the rest of our comrades and get to the bottom of this somehow" replied Pac Man.  
"H-how are we gonna manage that?" asked Lucas; "we don't have any idea where to look…"  
"I'll do some scouting in the morning and see if I can find something" replied Sonic.  
"I think we should probably just turn in and rest for evening" said Ness. The others agreed.  
"I'll keep watch" said Mega Man, leaping back up to the sentry couch to peep out the window. Samus turned off the fire and put it back in the corner.  
"Stay warm, guys…" she said, yawning. She pulled a blanket up over herself and curled down on some pillows in that corner. Lucina sprawled out on the various cushions and pulled a duvet over her body. Link came over and hunched down close by, from here he could still see the wooden steps but he would also be relatively comfy. Lucina pulled the duvet covers over Link's legs.  
"Come on now, sleep, Link… rest…" she said, snuggling into a cushion with the Brand on it. Link looked at her. He slowly knelt down and tucked himself in beside her, he kept an eye fixed on the door. Pac Man crawled under the table in the middle of the wall, there was a red sleeping bag under there. Ness stretched out on the bench like before leaning against the pillow on the left side. Lucas was lying huddled up, his head resting on Ness' stomach. They too had a blanket draped over them. Mario and Pit settled in the middle of the room on the padded cushions and pillows. Sonic looked over at Mega Man.  
"Are you sure you'll be OK keeping watch the whole night?"  
"We are relatively hidden here, we should be fine." He stopped and leaned closer to the glass, peering out into the darkening night. "I see footsteps." Sonic leapt up beside him and peered out.  
"That outfit… I think that's Robin."  
"Who's he with?" asked Mega Man. Sonic zoomed up the steps, out through the door and greeted them out on the porch.  
"Sonic!" cried Robin; "look at this place! It's horrible!" Sonic nodded.  
"I know. Come on." The trio headed back for the cellar door.  
"Where are we going?" asked Robin.  
"Safety" replied Sonic. The trio came down the steps. "Everyone's basically asleep." Robin and Shulk looked at the few poor, wounded souls lying lifelessly on the floor.  
"Whoa…" uttered Shulk, barely audible. Sonic spread out his arms.  
"Here are the refugees."


	5. Chapter 5: A Dangerous Vision

Chapter 5: A Dangerous Vision

The morning sun rose into the sky, its rays streaming in through the cellar window onto the tattered heroes. The sun shone directly onto Pit's face. "Nooooo, not again…" he mumbled, moving his arm across his face to shield his eyes. As he moved his arm, he elbowed Mario in the face.  
"Ow!" he yelped leaping into the air and throwing a fireball down. It hit Sonic in the head.  
"Hey! What's the big idea?" he cried angrily. The three got into a scuffle in the middle of the room, arms and legs flailing. Samus sat up.  
"So much for our relaxing respite! Quit it, guys!" The boys stopped and just looked at Samus, and then Lucina and Link who were looking a little dazed and annoyed, sat up and grumbled.  
"Where'd they come from?" asked Lucas, sitting up and pointing over at two figures by the steps.  
"Robin!" cried Lucina, leaping across Link and embracing him.  
"Hello again, Lucina. I'm glad to see you're safe."  
"And you are?" asked Samaus looking over at the blonde-haired swordsman.  
"I'm Shulk. I believe you guys have been expecting me?"  
"Well it's usually down to Master and Crazy to introduce new fighters" said Pac Man; "though I guess you'll have to wait a bit." Sonic stretched his legs.  
"Right, I'll go investigate the area and see if I can find anything." He flew past everyone and up the steps and out through the door, replacing the carpet afterwards. Shulk looked at Ness' swollen, cut forehead, then at Samus' cut arm.  
"I need to get Sharla here to treat you all" he said.  
"Who's she? A trained medic?" asked Samus. Shulk nodded. Shulk took a photograph of his friends out of his pocket.  
"Perhaps Sonic can fetch her?" he said. He walked up the steps to go and meet Sonic. Lucas went to collect the basin to fill with water again.  
"Well I'm feeling stronger" said Lucina; "so I'll see if I can find us any food from the kitchen or something." She headed for the stairs. Samus stood up.  
"It's dangerous to go alone." She got to her feet. "I'm coming too." Samus and Lucina headed for the kitchen, or what was left of it. Link headed after them.  
"So what should we do?" asked Pit.  
"We need to think logically here" replied Mega Man; "why have we been attacked? By whom? And where are they most likely to take the trophies of our friends?"  
"Yeah, Mario" interjected Pac Man; "you're a veteran from the start! Surely somewhere must spring to mind? …Right?" Mario closed his eyes and tried to think. Pac Man had a point, something SURELY had to come to mind…

Link, Lucina and Samus arrived at the kitchen, the furthermost room on the east side of the mansion; to the side of the great Mess Hall. "Good, this hasn't been completely blown apart" said Samus. The trio proceeded to pick up as many provisions as they could carry.

The figure saw the truck finally stop next to a cave. Was this where the Smashers were being taken? At least some of them? Regardless, it was time to investigate and see if _he _was there_._

Lucas held the damp cloth to Ness' forehead again. "Lucas, I told you; I'm fine now."  
"OK, OK, I get it…" he said. Ness leaned to the side.  
"So what are we thinking, guys?" Pit and Mario turned to him.  
"I don't know" said Mario; "but there's something I'd like to investigate. Any of you are welcome to come with me. Pit, you must come."  
"Why?" he asked.  
"This is important for the both of us…"

Shulk looked around from the porch at the front, staring at the cracked fountain that was dry with dirt and debris. "Sonic!" he called; "Sonic! Where are you?" He walked down the steps and past the fountain. Sonic skidded past him.  
"You called for me?"  
"Sonic, can you find this woman here? This is Sharla, our medic. I was hoping you could bring her here to help Ness and Samus."  
"Where are they?" asked Sonic. Shulk pointed off to the south.  
"They should be somewhere in that direction where I first met Robin. They were taking care of some side quests."  
"Alright, I'll find them." Shulk handed Sonic the photograph. Sonic sprinted away. As their hands made contact, the blue scratches that were on Sonic appeared on Shulk. Shulk looked at his sleeves, an interesting red and blue design now.  
"That's odd. Sonic was scratched and now I am too?" he pondered on it and headed back towards the mansion. As he did, his eyes lit up blue. "Uh… A-a vision…" Shulk's mind was consumed with a glimpse into the future. He saw Sonic running. A giant Mechon landed in front of him, with octopus-like tentacle arms, a Mark 71. A group of Mark 32s appeared from behind and Mark 63s from the side. Sonic proceed to Spin Dash into them. He bounced right off their armour. Shulk watched as he got blasted by lasers from the 32s. He was then grabbed by the tentacle and hauled into the air. Sonic's body became limp in its grasp. Shulk blinked and he was facing the mansion again. "No!" he ran back to where he had been speaking to Sonic. "Sonic! SONIC!" He waited. Too late. Sonic was long gone. Shulk ran back to the mansion, they had to get after him, immediately.

The figure sneaked past the Starmen guarding the truck and smacked the driver out onto the sandy ground. The truck screeched off into the distance, the Starmen giving chase. The figure laughed. They didn't care what trophies were in the truck anymore, they had something to be proud of; and they were looking forward to sharing it.

Robin was feverishly writing up notes in a note book, planning strategies no doubt. Ness and Lucas pulled out a small section of the wall which when unfolded acted as a small table. They were having a small game of cards to lighten the mood a little. "Feeling better?" asked Lucas.  
"Heh, that's what I should be asking you; you're the one who gets teary-eyed all the time" replied Ness, smiling.  
"I… Uh…" Lucas looked away. "S-so what! I don't like all this violence, you know that." His face went a little red.  
"No need to get angry with me, it was only in jest…" said Ness.  
"N-no! I wasn't angry, I-" Lucas was cut off by pounding feet. Shulk tore off the carpet and ripped the door open.  
"Goodness, Shulk; what's up?" cried Robin, standing up.  
"Sonic's in danger, we need to get after him immediately! We need fast transport!" cried Shulk. Shulk ran back up the steps, Robin right behind him. Ness leapt to his feet. Lucas began to tidy away the cards.  
"Lucas! Those can wait!" cried Ness. He grabbed Lucas firmly by the hand and pulled out of the chair. "Come on!" The duo raced after.  
"Where are the others?" shrieked Shulk.  
"They're off doing other things" replied Robin.  
"I'll guess we'll have to do without." The group stood outside by the cracked fountain. Ness grabbed Shulk by the sleeve.  
"Quickly! Where is Sonic?" he cried.  
"I don't know, I only saw the vision for a moment!"  
"You can have visions?" asked Lucas.  
"Quickly then! Describe the area to me!" cried Ness. Shulk tried to describe the surroundings in as much detail as possible. Then he mentioned an engraving on one of the rocky walls to one side of the valley. "That can only be one place! Smash Sacred Seal!"  
"What are you going to do?" asked Robin.  
"A little PSI move of mine" was all Ness said. He faced off towards the distance. "Behind me!" The others obliged. "PK Teleport!" Suddenly the group were careering down the road at high speeds until they vanished.

Samus came back down the steps to see the place was empty. Lucina was behind her.  
"Where have they gone?" she asked.  
"No idea" said Samus. She turned and looked past Lucina. "Link, see if they're nearby, would you?" Link nodded. He placed the things he was carrying down beside him and walked off. Samus and Lucina carried all the supplies down and placed them in the corner by the sink and on the pull-out table, tidying the cards in the process. "Well these cards have been partially tidied, implying they left of their own free will, but possibly in a hurry?"  
"I hope they're OK…" said Lucina.  
"Well there's nothing we can do at the moment so we shouldn't bother worrying." Link trudged down the steps and shook his head. He slouched down on the duvet, yawning. He kept his eyes fixed on the door though.  
"He's assumed quite a defensive role, hasn't he?" asked Lucina.  
"Yeah, Link's always so reliable" replied Samus. "Hand me those crisps, would you?" Lucina picked them up and gave them to Samus. "Might as well rest while we can…"

Ness landed on the ground, Lucas, Shulk and Robin right behind him. Ness looked up. "There!" he pointed. Sonic was in the middle of Spin Dashing. Shulk dashed forward.  
"Sonic, no!" He grabbed the Monado from his back. "I WILL change the future!" Sonic lay on the ground, dazed from the whack to the head. "SPEED!" Shulk swished the sword. He lifted Sonic out the way just in time to watch the tentacle rise from the ground. Sonic landed off to the right. He got up.  
"Whoa, I'm EVEN faster?" He darted over beside Shulk and the others. "What are these things?" he asked.  
"These are the Mechon" replied Shulk. "These things are immune to everything except the Monado."  
"What are we supposed to do, then?" asked Robin. Shulk swished the sword again.  
"Monado Enchant!" The others had auras of purple surrounding them now. "That should do it."  
"Sweet!" said Sonic. Ness and Lucas stood beside them.  
"So what's the plan?" asked Robin.  
"Bash them all!" cried Sonic, dashing forward. Shulk ran after him.  
"Everyone, let's go!"

Mario led Pit, Mega Man and Pac Man down west from the mansion which led down towards a serene river, surrounded by lush trees and foliage. A quaint spot untainted by the devastation it would appear. "Uh, Mario? What interest is there here?" asked Pit. Mario walked over the bank of the river and knelt down. He rummaged a little in the dirt until he found what he was looking for. The others loomed over his shoulder. Mario pressed a bright red button. There was a small rumble and suddenly the river water started flowing downward through a hole at the bottom of the river.  
"What on earth is this?" asked Mega Man. Mario leapt down through the whole. The trio plummeted after him. They landed on a circular, steel-grated platform, all the water flowing dropping under, flowing further below them. Mario pressed a yellow button at the side and the steel doors that covered the section of the river above began to close again, preventing any more water from falling in. Then he flicked a switch and lights came on from above, showing a cold, stony staircase leading down a small, narrow corridor. Mario walked down, the others stared in astonishment. Where the heck were they? They didn't mill around long, they chased after Mario. They only walked for about thirty seconds before the corridor led to a large, well lit lab-like area. Mario took a white coat from a peg on the wall and put it on.  
"I need somewhere to research and store all my medical wares and pills" he said. "Welcome, boys; to Dr. Mario's Research Lab!"


End file.
